During early diastole, what is the pressure difference between the atria and ventricles?

During early diastole, the heart is transitioning from contraction to filling. At this stage, the ventricles are relaxing after having pumped blood into the arteries, which causes the pressure within them to drop significantly. Meanwhile, the atria are filling with blood returning from the body and lungs, which leads to a slightly higher pressure in the atria compared to the relaxed ventricles.

The pressure difference is crucial for facilitating blood flow during diastole. As the ventricles relax and their pressure decreases, the pressure in the atria increases due to incoming blood. This pressure difference allows the atrioventricular (AV) valves to open, enabling blood to flow from the atria into the ventricles. Thus, during early diastole, the atria indeed have a higher pressure than the ventricles, which supports effective filling of the ventricles in preparation for the next contraction.

The other options do not accurately reflect the physiological dynamics during this phase. The ventricles cannot have a higher pressure because they are in a state of relaxation, and equal pressure is not conducive to the movement of blood between the chambers. Furthermore, while the ventricles do have lower pressure compared to the atria during this phase, describing it as "drastically